You found your ideal backyard bird: Brahma chicks from one of the hatcheries.
Now you’re watching them grow, patiently waiting for them to reach their full gigantic size.
How long will it take for them to be fully grown?
Key Takeaway:
A Brahma chicken takes a long time to fully mature, and it can take up to 2 years before they are fully grown. Luckily, this breed of chicken will start laying eggs earlier, at 6-7 months old.
Keep reading to learn more about this giant chicken breed, including how large they get, their egg production, and the different varieties available to have in your backyard or on your farm.
When Do Brahma Chickens Stop Growing?
As one of the largest chicken breeds, the Brahma breed of chickens has many great qualities, but there is one downside: they grow very slowly.
One of their advantages is the beautiful plumage they have.
However, this plumage doesn’t fully develop until 9 months old.
Since these quality birds are so large, they take a long time to reach their full gigantic size.
It can take until they are a year and a half or even two years old for them to stop growing.
The average chicken from other breeds will fully mature around a year old.
If you are patient, these calm birds are worth the wait.
Egg Production
Luckily, Brahma chickens start laying eggs long before they stop growing.
Instead of waiting up to 2 years for them to produce eggs, expect them to start laying when they are 6 or 7 months old.
Originally, this breed was meant to be a meat bird.
The breed is large now, but it was even larger back in the 1800s.
This dual-purpose bird can still feed a family of four, but first, use these chickens for eggs.
One Braham hen will produce 3 to 4 eggs per week, which comes out to up to 200 eggs in a single year.
The egg size is typically medium to large, and the eggs are brown.
This makes them decent egg layers, although they will not give you as many as some other prolific layer breeds.
Unlike many other breeds, the bird in question prefers to lay in the colder half of the year.
From October to May, count on consistent eggs from these healthy birds.
This is a good supplement if you have a mixed breed flock with hens who stop laying during the winter.
Brahmas are not particularly broody, but your hen might decide it wants baby chicks.
Further Reading: Brahma chicken eggs and everything you need to know about them
What Does A Brahma Chicken Look Like?
Brahma chickens and roosters are large.
The average size is listed below.
- Roosters: 12 pounds
- Hens: 9.5 pounds
- Bantam roosters: 38 ounces
- Bantam hens: 34 ounces
Their gigantic size isn’t the only notable thing about them.
Their long, feathered legs and feathered feet are iconic to the breed.
They also have dense feathers on their body, helping them withstand cold weather well.
They have a proud, upright posture with short tails.
Their faces have overhanging eyebrows, also known as beetle brows.
Their pea combs are small, but their wattles are medium-sized.
They have reddish brown eyes and yellow feet, shanks, and beaks.
Often these are yellow chicken breeds, which is why we included them on our list at the link.
How Many Brahma Chicken Varieties Are There?
The American Poultry Association recognizes 5 varieties, and there are even more developed by breeders.
The most common of the poultry varieties is the Light Brahma chicken.
| American Poultry Association | Non-Recognized Breeds |
|---|---|
| Black Brahma | Blue Brahma |
| Buff Brahma | Blue Columbian Brahma |
| Dark Brahma | Blue Partridge Brahma |
| Light Brahma | Gold Brahma |
| White Brahma | Partridge Brahma |
| Pyle Brahma | |
| Red Brahma |
What Weather Conditions Can A Brahma Chicken Withstand?
Cold Climates
With their dense feathers and heavy body size, Brahmas do well in cool climates compared to the average chicken breed.
They are an ideal fowl if you live in a northern climate.
In addition to having good insulation, they are less susceptible to frostbite with their small pea comb.
However, you do not want to keep Brahmas outside during the winter if you live in a wet climate.
They should only be kept in dry areas.
This is because their feathered feet risk frostbite if there is mud or excess moisture.
This is true for all poultry breeds with dense foot feathering.
Mud will cling to the foot feathers, which can turn into small mud balls.
This will severely damage the toe if not given proper care quickly.
The same can happen with slushy ice and snow during the winter.
Further Reading: How cold is too cold for Brahma chickens
Dry Weather
Because of the reasons we just discussed, you want to keep your Brahmas in dry areas, even if it is not particularly cold.
If you live in a wet area, there are ways to create a dry environment for your fowl.
One way is to create a large, covered run or a clean, dry, sanitary, adequate-sized coop.
Check their feet from time to time to make sure they’re dry.
During the spring and summer, even if it is warm out, this poultry type can become miserable if there is a ton of mud around.
Having mud boots sticking to their foot feathers is not fun and will also lead to health issues.
Choose a breed without foot feathers if you live in a wet, muddy area and cannot provide a dry environment.
Brahmas are not right for you.
Hot Climates
The reasons Brahmas do well in colder climates are the same reasons they do not do well in warm climates.
Their body type and dense feathering retain the heat, making them at higher risk of heat stroke.
Chickens lose heat through their combs, but a Brahma chicken’s bright red comb is small and does not dissipate as much heat as a larger one.
If you live in a hot area or are experiencing a heat wave, take extra care to ensure your birds do not get heat stroke.
Offer ample shade, fans in the coop, and plenty of fresh water.
Further reading: Are Brahma chickens heat tolerant?
Personality of the Brahma Chicken
These calm birds are mellow, relaxed, and docile.
Known as gentle giants, they are peaceful and don’t fight with each other often, even in a mixed flock.
If you don’t want to have an aggressive rooster on your farm, Brahmas make magnificent roosters.
They do have individual personalities, though.
They also are friendlier to humans than the average chicken.
If you are looking for a pet chicken, this is the breed for you.
They are easy to tame, enjoy being handled, and love spending time with their favorite humans.
Some chicken keepers report this breed as being rather intelligent and trainable.
They’ll never get to the level of dogs, but some can count or do very basic tricks.
Still, they make fantastic family pets.
